Royal cousins
by Miss Jassy
Summary: Atobe and Ryoma are cousins but no one knows. How the regulars of both their teams (and about everyone else) found out. One shot. Slight AU. fem!Ryo


For this fic I changed the time line a little. Atobe and Ryoma didn't meet before. This happens during their match at the National tournament.

This is my first POT one shot. I hope you'll like it.

**R&amp;R**

**Disclaimer :I don't own Prince of Tennis**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Royal cousins**

The tennis courts were boiling. Just now Eiji and Oishi had activated Synchro and it was breath taking to watch. Still they had lost as Eiji felt his partners wrist wouldn't be able to sustain another shot.

Anyway cheers of Hyotei were able to be heard miles away: "The winner will be Hyotei! The loser will be Seigaku! The winner will be Atobe!"

Atobe made his way to the centre of the court and prepared to snap... as someone did it before him.

"The winner will be ME!" he heard someone say.

Turning around he looked at the person who stole his show. He hadn't bothered looking up the person he'd be playing since it 't Tezuka and person wasn't even present at the last Hyotei/Seigaku-match.

As he looked at his opponent his first thought was that he didn't look like much. Pretty small, short green black hair, a white cap on his head. But soon realization began to dawn on Atobes side.

'It couldn't be ...could it?' he thought as he made his way to the net so he could get a better look at the other player.

As they stood opposite of each other Atobe couldn't deny it any more his opponent was...

"Echizen Ryoma, I would have never guessed you'd be on the Seigaku **boys** team." he said "What a coincidence, chibi."

"I knew my secret would probably be lifted today. Just so you know no one knows who I really am and no one knows who we are to each other, so what do you think we start our match and if you slip it's ok and if you want to you can tell everyone after the match. Is that all right with you, Kei chan?

"All right chibi let's have a match."

Most of the bystanders looked confused at the two players who talked with each other in a hushed voice. No one knew that the two of them had met before.

But the confusion lasted only so long as Ryoma and Atobe walked towards their respectively ends of the courd.

"Best of one set match. Hyotei Gakuen Atobe to serve." announced the referee.

"Oii chibi" Atobe shouted as he prepared his serve "It's been quiet some time since we last played each other, hasn't it?"

"Ahh" Ryoma replied as he charged for the ball "It has. Do you still remember our game count?"

"Oh yes ore-sama believe we finished in a tie." Atobe continued their chat as he once again returned the ball.

"Drive B." Ryoma shouted as he slid on the floor to return the ball. Atobe jumped to return it with a smash. But Ryoma once again returned it easily as he shouted:" Drive D."

People all around the court looked astonished at the two players. Some because they couldn't believe the two of them had met often enough to have game count, others because the couldn't believe how the two of them could just chat trough such an important match and again others because of the new move Ryoma just presented.

"Oho, nice move chibi."

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A/N Ok from now on I will concentrate less on the match and more on the talking.

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Somehow Atobe and Ryoma managed to talk while playing a racy game. Half of the people watching concentrated more on their chat than on the match itself.

"So how have you been doing the past months?"

"Okay, I guess. A lot of tennis training. I had to drink a lot of milk as well. It's horrible!"

Had the situation been different, Atobe probably would have cracked with laughter.

"And you really did it? Ore-sama always told you to do exactly that but you'd never listen."

"Hai,hai but you know what. I don't need to be bigger to beat you!"

"We'll see about that." with that Atobe scored another point.

"Game, Hyotei Atobe 1-0." the referee called.

"Che." was everything he said. He served his ball and the match continued.

So they continued their match. At one point it looked as though Atobe would win but Ryoma caught up. Now they were in the middle of a tie break they currently had 116 points each.

For the first time since the beginning of the match they stopped their chat both to exhausted to talk. And they had talked about every thing. From their daily routines till what their families were.

Especially as they started on the topic 'family' the bystanders got more and more confused as both of them used nicknames usually only used by family members and close friends.

Anyway everyone realized that this game was coming to its end as both tennis players could barely stand up straight.

After the next two points Ryoma as well as Atobe collapsed. Immediately everyone around the courts started to yell their names. Atobe was the first to come to.

A little later Ryoma barely in time stood up. He took all his power and served a Twist serve... which flew directly past the other tennis player.

Atobe, while standing up, had fainted.

The match was declared a win for Seigaku, they proceeded to the semi-finals.

The other Seigaku players ran onto the court and started to ruffle Ryomas hair. But before he could be closed in by a bone crushing hug he freed himself and made his way towards his opponent.

Hyoteis regulars watched with fear afraid to see what the small tennis player might do to their captain.

But instead of doing him any harm Ryoma simply started shaking the bigger player while saying:

"Oi, wake up, come on , snap out of it!"

As this didn't seem to work Ryoma leaned back, taking a deep breath.

"OI KEI-CHAN SNAP OUT OFF IT!" he screamed right at the other teen.

Every single person on the court turned at him. Almost in unison they asked:

"Kei-chan?"

"Ah, oh, eh shit. I blew my cover. Well, what ever." Ryoma mumbled before returning his attention to Atobe. "Hey Keigo if you don't snap out of it this instant I'll shave your head."

Immediately he started to come to

"You wouldn't dare shave my head, chibi!" he shouted.

"Hai, hai." Ryoma replied with a smirk, " but it helped you regain consciousness, didn't it?"

"Yeah, what ever." Atobe said, as he and Ryoma silently looked at each other.

For their spectators this was a great chance to recall what exactly just happened.

Freaky fact number one: The two of them knew each other.

Freaky fact number two: Atobe almost behaved like a normal person.

Freaky fact number three: Ryoma talked, a lot, without anyone forcing him too.

Freaky fact number four: KEI-CHAN!

Tezuka was the first to break the silence.

"Echizen what is going on? How do the two of you know each other?"

Ryoma and Atobe exchanged a look that said 'Should I tell or do you...'. Atobe gave Ryoma a nod that told him to start. Taking a deep breath Ryoma started:

"Well I can't really say 'what's going on', but Keigo and I know each other because we are cousins.

"COUSINS?!"

"Oii if I should tell you would you mind stop shouting at me! Thanks. So as I said, yes we are cousins. When we were young we learned playing tennis together and mostly we talked to each other so it comes almost naturally to talk to each other while playing, nee Kei?"

Atobe simply nodded, for once not putting himself in the foreground. Instead letting his cousin tell their story. '_Somehow it always was like this, ore-sama standing back while she talked_.' His train of thought stopped here as he had an idea how to give his little cousin even more attention.

"Hey Ryo," he said," now that everyone knows about our relation, ore-sama think about lifting your big secret..."

This created a couple of emotions on Ryomas face. 1. confusion 2. fear 3. acceptance.

"I guess I won't be able to stop you." Ryoma said sighing.

The other Seigaku regulars looked confused and worried at their freshman prodigies unusual behaviour and so did Hyoteis regulars at their captains.

"Well..." Atobe began dramatically," I'm sorry to inform you that your little Ryoma-kun here... actually is a Ryoma-**chan.**"

...

"…Häh?"

Most of the people on the courts looked even more confused at this statemant.

Ryoma who couldn't take it any longer shouted.

"What he's trying to say is that I'm a GIRL!"

…

"... USO!"

Ryoma slowly felt like in a comedy show. Was it even possible for so many people to repeatedly say the same thing at the exact same time. To make matters worse he... ah she felt a blush creep onto her face.

"Hai, hai you better close you mouths. It's as as I said I'm a girl... and don't you dare ask for proof.

Saigakus regulars only could stare disbelieving. All their thoughts went along the same lines.

Momo:_' Impossible no girl can eat so much that fast.'_

Eiji:_' Uso.. ochibi-chan really is ochibi-**chan.**_

Oishi:_' Oh my god we let a girl change in the same room we did.'_

Inui:_'Unexpected, really unexpected. Iie data.'_

Tezuka:_' Impossible I made a little girl the pillar of support for my team.'_

Fuji:_' Saa, who would have thought our little Echizen could keep such a secret.'_

Taka:_ 'What the -... I don't...Ahhhhh...'_

Kaidoh_: 'Fssssssshhhhhhhhh...'_

All of them appeared to be frozen on spot.

"I think we broke them, Ryo-chan."Atobe said

"Che, they'll come around eventually."Ryoma replied, "anyway would you like to eat dinner at my place. I bet kaa-san would love to see you again.

"Sure."

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So well that's it. I hope you like it. So if you have any questions or just want to tell me how you found it comments are always appreciated.


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